[Image: X/@erecasner]
Ethnicity and culture are stitched deep into the soul of who people are; they’re not window dressing, or face paint for that matter.
From traditional clothing to the rhythm of native tongues, many ethnic groups carry their history with pride, demanding to be seen and respected for who they truly are.
So when a certain “Zulu” parade struts down the streets of New Orleans during Mardi Gras, with participants donning afro wigs, coconut-coloured getups, and what looks a whole lot like blackface ripped straight from old-school minstrel shows- people were bound to have words.
Cue South Africans collectively raising their eyebrows to their hairlines after seeing clips of the parade. Online outrage flared, fast and furious.
Found out there’s a Zulu parade in New Orleans… Yeaaaah I’m trying to wrap my head around this pic.twitter.com/zMvGCI6kga
— $HALA (@Shalatheunicorn) April 7, 2025
Especially because, in what world are coconuts associated with Zulu attire? If you’re going to dress up, do it right.
These are Zulu people??? Americans are so disrespectful OMG black face on top of that?? https://t.co/kf428dlYkL pic.twitter.com/8GzChWVURY
— Luna M (@tiredfeminist_) April 7, 2025
And just like that, the online brawl was on. Americans leapt in to defend the tradition, swinging insults like it’s 2010 Twitter.
“Black face but it’s Black people. Y’all South Africans are retarded as f* and quit speaking on sht you don’t know sht about.”**
Okay, wow. That escalated quickly.
Defenders of the parade came armed with history. The Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club, they pointed out, has been doing this since 1909, which is over a hundred years of satire, they claimed.
As Nola reported: “Satire is a key element of Mardi Gras and nowhere is that on keener display than in the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club formed in 1909. Zulu’s founders chose their costumes to mock the demeaning portrayals of black people in early 20th century culture and the pretensions of the all-white parading organisations of the time.”
Zulu Parade in New Orleans pic.twitter.com/Bg8EYqxHDj
— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) February 2, 2020
According African Americans in New Orleans, we should accept that this is their representation of “ZULU” Culture”
Justified by history… https://t.co/ezEmzhIYNq pic.twitter.com/l4aogp8yiE
— El-Presidentey (@Cosmic_El) April 8, 2025
Every year, the members stick to the same controversial formula: black makeup, grass skirts, and coconuts flying through the air. One participant even shared a video tutorial on how she preps for the parade, as if turning into a “Zulu” is a whole aesthetic now.
I hate Americans so much pic.twitter.com/9OpNFPY6BQ
— AHEAD OF THE SEXUALS (@alfred_third) April 7, 2025
South Africans, however, weren’t buying the “tradition” argument for one second.
“And now that a hundred years have passed what’s so difficult with doing away with black face knowing it’s offensive? And ignorance cannot be an excuse because you have all the information available to actually do things the right way if you care about cultural accuracy. Anything less is a mockery and there is no justifying it in 2025.”
Mic Drop. And then came the real shots.
“Black Americans are so sensitive about their so-called culture and cry all day about how people do not respect them yet also turn around to appropriate other people’s cultures and bastardise them. This is literally a mockery of Zulu people and Zulu culture. Shameless people.”
At this point, diplomacy had clearly left the chat.
One X user even suggested upping the ante: “This is an opportunity for the Zulu Kingdom to sue the city of New Orleans and cash in from that joke of a parade!”
Whether it’s satire or straight-up cultural cosplay, one thing’s for sure- no one’s walking away from this debate without catching some heat.
[Source: IOL]
